Apple has acquired the Israeli artificial intelligence startup q.ai, the U.S. technology giant confirmed Thursday, marking a second sale to Apple for the company’s founder and chief executive, Aviad Maizels. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Maizels previously founded PrimeSense, an Israeli startup whose motion-sensing technology became central to Apple’s Face ID system. Apple acquired PrimeSense in 2013 in a deal widely estimated at about $350 million.
Maizels founded q.ai in 2022 shortly after leaving Apple, together with Dr. Yonatan Vexler, formerly of OrCam, and artificial intelligence researcher Dr. Avi Barlia. The startup has operated largely in stealth mode, with limited public information about its products. Its investors include venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, Google’s Sequoia Capital-backed fund, and Israeli and international funds Aleph, Matter, Exor and Corner Ventures.
Apple said q.ai develops advanced machine learning applications aimed at transforming audio and communication experiences. According to the company, the technology includes capabilities that enable whisper-level speech, enhance audio in challenging environments and improve human interaction with devices.
Patent filings linked to q.ai describe systems capable of interpreting subtle facial skin movements to understand speech, decoding so-called “silent speech” based solely on muscle motion, and head-mounted systems that use optical or laser projection on the face to detect minute muscle activity. Such technologies could be used to improve communication with wearable devices such as AirPods or Apple’s Vision Pro headset and to enhance interaction with Apple’s voice assistant, Siri.
“At Apple, we focus on developing the most innovative technologies to create the world’s best products,” Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies and the company’s most senior Israeli executive, said in a statement. “Q is an exceptional company, pioneering new and creative ways to use imaging and machine learning technologies. We are excited to acquire the company led by Aviad and even more excited about what lies ahead.”
Maizels said joining Apple would allow the team to further develop its technology at a global scale.
“Apple has always been a symbol for me of magical products that people fall in love with,” he said. “Together with my partners and Q’s exceptional team, we combined advanced machine learning with physics to build something truly deep and unique. Becoming part of Apple opens extraordinary possibilities to push boundaries and bring these experiences to people everywhere.”